Apparatus for cooking or heating foodstuffs

ABSTRACT

A cooking or heating apparatus having means whereby bags of foodstuffs can be selectively suspended therein and removed therefrom.

Wied States 'atent Wallace 1 1 Sept. 11, 1973 APPARATUS FOR COOKING 0RHEATING 1,255,014 H1918 Janiszewski 99 410 FOODSTUFFS 1,316,827 9/1919Brunner 99/414 [76] inventor: Griffith Wallace, 22 Daphne St., 1 931,12010/1933 99/408 X Botany, New South Wales, Australia 2,323,623 7/194399/403 [22] F led: June 2 9 1 2,645,993 7/1953 Voss 99/259 [21] Appl.No.: 155,527

Foreign Application Priority Data July 10, 1970 Australia 1795/70 U.S.Cl. 99/410, 99/448 Int. Cl. A47j 37/12 Field of Search 99/448, 259, 291,99/298, 336, 339, 367, 374, 403, 407, 410, 411, 416-417, 426

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1894 Stone 99/426 UX PrimaryExaminer.lohn Petrakes Assistant Examiner-Arthur 0. HendersonAtt0rneyEmOry L. Groff 57 ABSTRACT A cooking or heating apparatus havingmeans whereby bags of foodstuffs can be selectively suspended thereinand removed therefrom.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures Patented Sept. 11, 1973 3,757,673

2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Sept. 11, 1973 3,757,673

2 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

APPARATUS FOR COOKING OR HEATING FOODSTUFFS This invention relates toapparatus for cooking or heating foodstuffs. While not limited theretothe apparatus is particularly applicable to the heating of foodstuffsprepared as a composite meal and held in a plastic bag until required.As so applied, it has substantial advantages over known cooking orheating devices where various forms of composite foodstuffs are preparedand have to be served at short notice as in restaurants and the like.

Hitherto foodstuffs so prepared have of necessity been substantiallyindiscriminately deposited in cooking or heating devices and selectivewithdrawal of the heated foodstuffs has not been an easy task.

With the apparatus of the present invention the bags of foodstuff can beeasily deposited and selectively withdrawn from the apparatus, the bagsbeing in the apparatus for the longest periods can be easily identifiedby their position therein.

According to this invention a cooking or heating apparatus is providedwith a rod or an array of rods each having means by which bags offoodstuffs can be suspended therefrom. The rod or rods is or aresupported in a manner whereby it .or they can be moved tov give accessto the bag suspension means and to place bags suspended therefrom in thecooking or heating zone and to remove the bags from such zone.

Two embodiments of the invention are described with reference to theannexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation of one form of the apparatus having one rodfor foodstuff support means.

FIG. 2 is a plan of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 omitting the supportmeans for bags of foodstuff.

FIG. 3 is an outline perspective view of another form of the apparatushaving provision to accommodate a plurality of rods for foodstuffsupport means (one only being shown).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 the apparatus comprises an open toprectangular tank 1 having a perforated tray 2 supported above the bottomby flanges constituting legs 3. The heating means is water in the tankwhich is heated by an electric element 4 connected in a control box 5 bylead 6 to a power supply controlled by a switch indicated at 7. There isa water outlet from the tank 1 which is controlled by tap 8. Preferablythe tank incorporates a temperature indicator, indicated at 9 and theindicator may include a temperature controller.

At each end of the tank there is a tubular socket l0 and a U shaped rodhaving a straight web 11 and straight legs 12 is mounted on top of thetank by inserting the legs 12in the sockets 10. The web 11 has aplurality of bag holding spring clips 13 thereon. At each end of thetank there is a handle 14. The parts are so arranged that bags offoodstuff secured by the spring clips 13 are individually suspended inthe tank 1 and raised out of the tank by raising the rod or releasingthe bag or bags from the spring clips.

Racks (not shown) may be arranged to support the rods externally of thetank to facilitate securing bags of foodstuff thereto and removing them.

In FIG. 3 the construction described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 isvaried by forming serrations 15 on the tops of the longitudinal walls ofthe tank 1. The serrations are so spaced that straight rods placed inthe webs of the serrations are supported in parallel spacedrelationship. A plurality of bag holding spring clips 13 are mounted onthe rods. In all other respects the apparatus is the same as thatdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and it functions in the samemanner.

I claim:

1. An improvement in apparatus for heating foodstuffs enclosed in acontainer, said apparatus comprising an open top container for holding asupply of water, electric heating means in the bottom of said containerand extending throughout substantially the entire area of the bottom ofsaid container, a perforated tray supported in the bottom of thecontainer above said heating means, tubular sockets on the upperportions of opposite walls of said container, at least one U-shaped rodremovably supported in said sockets, a plurality of spring clip membersattached to said rod, said clip members adapted to support saidcontainers during the heating of the foodstuffs enclosed therein.

1. An improvement in apparatus for heating foodstuffs enclosed in acontainer, said apparatus comprising an open top container for holding asupply of water, electric heating means in the bottom of said containerand extending throughout substantially the entire area of the bottom ofsaid container, a perforated tray supported in the bottom of thecontainer above said heating means, tubular sockets on the upperportions of opposite walls of said container, at least one U-shaped rodremovably supported in said sockets, a plurality of spring clip membersattached to said rod, said clip members adapted to support saidcontainers during the heating of the foodstuffs enclosed therein.